With Every Strike of Lightning
by inequality
Summary: Gabriella Montez always hated thunderstorms, but now every flash before her eyes made her see Troy Bolton - his eyes, his hair, his smile. Now she was just a shell of her old self, full of memories she could never replace. Oneshot. Songfic.


A/N: This was just a one shot that I wrote a little while ago… I thought I might post it and see if anyone else liked it. The songs are 'Before the Storm' by the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, and 'This is Home' by Switchfoot. Enjoy!

**With Every Strike of Lightning**

_Standing out in the rain_

_Need to know if it's over_

_Cause I will leave you alone_

_I'm flooded with all this pain_

_Knowing that I'll never hold you _

_Like I did before the storm_

26 year old Gabriella Montez pushed open the door to her house in a huff. She hadn't had a good day; everything at work was going wrong; she'd lost her cell, her wallet had mysteriously emptied itself of all her remaining money, and worst of all, there was a storm coming. Ever since she was a little girl, Gabriella had always been afraid of thunderstorms. She would cower and hide under the reassuring comfort of her blanket, or, more often than not, her boyfriend, Troy Bolton.

Ex-boyfriend, to be exact. The two had been high-school sweethearts since winning the lead roles for their school play, and had been virtually inseparable. Their relationship had been a dream or more so a match made in heaven, and they simply fell apart. Their relationship lacked in the flame that was needed to keep it burning, and so they drifted apart; each to lead separate lives, in their own separate houses, in their own separate worlds. But now that Troy had been gone for over 3 months, Gabriella felt she needed him more than ever. The feeling in the pit of her stomach; an empty, shallow, heart-breaking feeling, grew stronger and stronger, until it finally reached the height of power; when she so desperately wanted to call Troy and beg for him to come back, no matter how anxious she sounded. Though she could do nothing to control her feelings, she tried to tone them down a bit as she prepared herself for the incoming thunderstorm.

She threw her house keys onto the counter in the hall and shrugged off her heavy winter coat, hanging it up on the coat rack by the door. She reached her bedroom at the end of the hall and slipped into her pyjamas; a combination of a matching set of blue love heart long sleeved shirt and pants, and her trademark fluffy bunny slippers. She somewhat shuffled outside to the back wall of the house where her beloved windowsill seat was. It had remained unchanged throughout the years she had lived in the house; always with a foam seat on the cold wood, her teddy bear and blanket sitting atop. Always. Sighing, she drew open the blind and sat in her windowsill, making herself comfortable; she was sure to be in the same position until the end of the storm. The darkness had become much more noticeable now, it was almost pitch black outside and the clouds high above were coming nearer; a dark shade of grey compared to the fluffy, white of the clouds earlier in the day. The wind howled incessantly, and the booming thunder began to rumble. A soft pitter patter of rain began to shower across the town, the wind blowing it in all directions. It splashed against the window, making Gabriella's cheek, which was currently leaning against it, numb with cold.

It was no matter the numbness of her cheek; she had gone through it many times before, with it being storm season, and she without Troy. She couldn't remember the number of nights she'd spent alone on her windowsill, wishing for the rain to finally end. And whenever the rain cleared up and Gabriella thought it had finally come to a halt, it would begin again; the rain would lash out against her window, and wind would rattle the window panes, the thunder would roll and the lightning would go off with a spark. Outside in the distance, the lightning came with a flash after the rumbling of thunder. Huddled in her blanket with her teddy bear close by her side, Gabriella's mind went straight to thoughts and memories of Troy.

* * *

_Troy kept his foot neatly on the accelerator, just below the speed limit. He kept his eyes on the road as Gabriella spoke to him. They were coming home from a date out at a restaurant in the next city._

_"Troy, are we nearly home yet?" She asked, her eyes scanning the darkening sky._

_"Nearly?" He scoffed. "Nope. Nuh uh. We're over an hour away; we'll be in this car a while longer, babe."_

_She lifted her eyes to the dark grey storm clouds lingering overhead. "Can we hurry? There's a storm coming."_

_"Alright." He glanced at her, sensing her worry. "Are you okay?"_

_Gabriella stayed silent for a moment before replying. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"_

_"You just seem a bit… anxious, that's all." He changed lanes._

_"Well, you know how I get with storms."_

_"I know; that's why I'm trying to get home as quickly as possible without getting us killed, or pulled over by the police for speeding." Troy explained. "And I don't want to make you scared. I want you to feel as safe as possible during the storm."_

_"Aww, that's so sweet."_

_Troy flushed a little. "Anything for my Gabriella."_

_"I love you." Gabriella spoke._

_Troy grinned. "I love you too."_

_All of a sudden, thunder rumbled overhead, and a flash of lightning cracked. The rain came pouring down immediately after, almost like a chain reaction; thunder; which triggered the lightning, then rain. Gabriella shuddered, fixing her eyes tight shut. The front screen grew too blurry to see through, and Troy switched on the windscreen wipers. His old truck couldn't handle it though, without the extra fixes, and the wipers whirred to a stop. He flicked them on and off, but they wouldn't budge. He took another momentary look in Gabriella's direction before deciding to stop the car because it was too dangerous to keep going without windscreen wipers. He pulled the truck up on the side of the highway, switching off the motor and letting the rain pummel the metal top, creating a steady beat._

_Gabriella slowly opened her eye, the feeling of momentum diminished. "Why've we stopped?"_

_"Windscreen wipers wouldn't work. I would've had the chance to fix them, lest I didn't do the musical last year."_

_"Hey!" Gabriella retaliated. "You loved every second of it."_

_"Exactly." Troy smiled. "I wouldn't have swapped musical rehearsals with you for anything in the world. Not even this rusty old truck."_

_"I'm glad to hear that."_

_"Well, now that we're making conversation, your fear of thunderstorms certainly has faded." Troy immediately knew he said the wrong thing, as Gabriella's eyes widened at his words, and she looked outside the truck horrified, because she was stuck on the highway during a thunderstorm, only momentarily having forgotten. "No, no, no! Brie, just stay calm!"_

_"Troy, I'm as scared of thunderstorms as Chad is of wearing leotards." She gripped the seat of her chair tightly, the tips of her fingers turning a ghastly white as they were cut off from circulation. "And that's enough said."_

_Troy smiled sadly as her terrified look, and an idea came into his head. "Let me come over there."_

_"What?" Gabriella was perplexed. "Let you come over here?"_

_"Yeah; like this." Troy unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped across to her, settling himself comfortably between Gabriella and the door._

_"Why did you need to come over here?" Gabriella asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"We can cuddle." _

_Not being one to refuse a cuddle during a thunderstorm, Gabriella unbuckled and made herself comfortable. She shivered and twitched, her eyes closing softly. He pulled a lever on the side of the seat and it reclined, letting them lay together. He pulled his East High jacket off in one swift move and lay down, covering it over both their bodies. At once, Gabriella became warm, and slowly opened her eyes again. Troy pulled her even closer, burying his nose into her hair, smelling the faint scent of her sweet strawberry shampoo. She pushed him away slightly, kissing the tip of his nose. Troy pulled her to him once again, letting her lay against his well-built chest. As she listened to the erratic beat of his heart, all of her fear about the thunderstorm was forgotten, and it soon passed over without a second thought, then they drove back home._

_

* * *

_

Gabriella remembered the memory as if it were yesterday, though it occurred more than 8 years ago, in the final months of their final year at East High. Another roll of thunder and a crackling of lightning sounded, and Gabriella quivered on her windowsill, her eyes closed tightly, her fingers clasped around her teddy bear. Though her eyes were shut, the lightning was so white; she saw the light as it penetrated her eyelids. Another memory flickered before her eyes, followed by another, followed by another. Every precious moment she shared with him. Memories of the past danced in front of her eyes and she willed them to go away.

With every flash of lightning, it was as if Gabriella remembered his memory, every part of him, more than she had before.

_Flash._

His blue eyes.

_Flash._

His incredible smile; the one that enabled her to sleep every night, even though she knew he'd never be hers again.

_Flash._

His sandy brown hair, tousled only the slightest bit, swaying towards the right, almost covering the sight of his eyes.

_Flash._

His well-defined muscles. His torso. His arms.

_Flash._

His ability to listen to her intently, even when what she had to say didn't interest him at all.

_Flash._

The way he held her.

_Flash._

The way he kissed her.

_Flash._

The way he loved her.

_Flash._

The way she loved him.

* * *

Troy Bolton held his favourite picture in his hands. A picture of him and his ex-girlfriend at prom; his arm around her waist, and her eyes on his. They looked happy, until they fell apart three months ago. He set the framed photo down on his desk and stood, giving it one last look. He paced his study, a hand running through his messy brown hair. Frustrated out of his wits, he looked out the clear double-paned window and took in the view of the whirlwind thunderstorm. The wind blew the trees in his backyard this way and that, the thunder clapped and the lightning struck, the rain lashing out on the side of his house. Another strike of lightning, and he saw her. He was immediately reminded of the feel of her in his arms, her lips on his, her eyes on his. She was the perfect girl, and he had let her go.

It was as if the lightning drew her beautiful face in the sky, illuminated for only him to see. He noticed that she wore not a smile, but a deeply sad face. Her eyes seemed miserable, partly covered by her hair, whipping with the wind across her face. Her cheekbones sagged; it looked as though she hadn't been happy in months, years, much like himself. Troy grimaced at the sight of her eyes once again, and looked away. He closed his eyes in thought, and nodded to himself.

He had waited far too long, and it was time to get her back.

He backed out of his study and ran down the hall, knocking over a precious statue in his rush. It fell to the ground and shattered to a million miniscule pieces, and Troy didn't even care. In his haste, he didn't even pick up his car keys, thinking he had enough emotional energy to run there. He pulled open his front door and jetted out, not even bothering to close it. The harsh rain blurred his view, but he ran on. Crossing the streets and turning left and right, Troy finally arrived at his destination in the heart of the town. The house stood in front of him, beckoning him closer. He took a deep breath, wiping the mingled sweat and water off his brow. He stepped up the drive and stood in front of the door, knocking loudly.

* * *

Gabriella fought to keep her eyes closed, and tossed and turned on her windowsill, nearly losing balance and falling off. She held on tightly, ridding her mind of the past memories, willing them to stop coming forth and making themselves aware. A loud rapping of knuckles on the front door startled her as it rang sharp and clear through the rumbling thunder and pelting rain. She almost fell off her windowsill again, but regained her balance and walked down the hall to answer it. She pulled open the heavy oak door and gaped as she saw who stood at her door, soaking wet.

Troy Bolton.

The man stood on her doorstep, his wet hair plastered to his face and his clothes sticking to his body. He wore only a simple red and white shirt and a pair of denim jeans, and still looked as he did three months ago. His eyes were empty, a hole of sadness, and a desire only one person he knew would fill. Gabriella stood rooted to the spot, still unable to register what was going on, until Troy called her name.

"Gabriella!" He called over the ruckus of the rain on the roof. "It's me! Troy!"

She shook her head. "I can see that! Come inside, you must be freezing!" She didn't know what took over her, but she felt as though he needed to be inside, apart from the obvious fact that he would get hypothermia if she let him stay outside.

Troy gladly and appreciatively stepped inside, and Gabriella pulled the door closed behind him. His clothes dripped sadly onto the wooden floor, and he noticed this.

"Sorry." He apologized, putting his hand to the back of his neck; a move he always did when he was nervous or embarrassed. "I'll clean that up."

"No, it's okay. I'll do it later." Their voices were much softer now, and even their breathing could be heard, much unlike outside, where they had to yell to hear each other, standing only a few feet away.

They shared a moment of awkward silence before Gabriella finally spoke. "So why are you here?"

Troy sighed and ran a shaky hand through his ruffle of hair, trying to delay having to answer her. "I ran all the way from my house to come and see you, because every time I saw the lightning flash, I saw your face up in the sky. And right then, I guessed it was time to get my life back."

"Every time I saw l strike of lightning, I saw a memory. A memory of us. With every strike of lightning, I saw a memory that lasted." Gabriella blushed. "Every single memory."

"And I just wanted to tell you…" Troy stopped mid-sentence.

"You wanted to tell me?" Gabriella asked, curious to know what he was going to say.

"I wanted to tell you…" Troy breathed in deeply. "I'm finally back."

Gabriella threw her arms around his neck and leaned up, pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

"Welcome home."

_This is home_

_Now I'm finally where I belong_

_Where I belong_

_Yeah, this is home_

_I've been searching for a place of my own_

_Now I've found it_

_Maybe this is home_

_Yeah, this is home_


End file.
